Gavigan scores shot on 'Ninja'

Phil Gavigan grew up playing all sorts of sports, settling on football when he reached Cornwall High School.

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By WILLIAM MONTGOMERY

recordonline.com

By WILLIAM MONTGOMERY

Posted Mar. 25, 2014 at 2:00 AM

By WILLIAM MONTGOMERY
Posted Mar. 25, 2014 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

Phil Gavigan grew up playing all sorts of sports, settling on football when he reached Cornwall High School.

When high school was over, Gavigan started looking for a new challenge. He tried mixed martial arts for a few years, but after watching the "CrossFit Games" on ESPN, Gavigan found a new passion.

Gavigan, 22, began training with Frank Volpe, who owns the CrossFit gym in New Windsor. His first workout was a quarter mile worth of burpees that left him gasping for air but hungry for more.

"I loved every second of it because it pushes your body to its limits," Gavigan said. "You get to go to that dark place and keep pushing where breathing is a second option. I got really good at it and kept going."

A longtime fan of the show, Gavigan sent in an application for a spot on NBC's "American Ninja Warrior," an obstacle course-driven competition that returns to television on May 26. On Saturday evening, Gavigan learned he was selected for the show. He heads to St. Louis for a qualifying competition in three weeks.

"American Ninja Warrior" is a spin-off of a Japanese series, "Sasuke," which has aired since 1997 and had been broadcast in the U.S. in an edited form. Since the show began, more than 2,700 contestants have participated, but the course has been completed a mere four times.

"It's kind of like an insanely advanced gymnastic obstacle course," Gavigan said. "Grip strength comes into play, as does upper body strength. There's a part where there's a 2-by-4 on the wall and you're dangling and you're using just your fingers to climb across the wall. It takes a lot of balance and agility."

Entering its sixth season on U.S. television, "American Ninja Warrior" draws athletes from a wide spectrum of fields, including gymnastics, mountaineering and parkour.

Gavigan is hoping that his well-rounded CrossFit training will help him navigate all parts of the course.

"All different types of athletic aspects come into play and everyone brings something new to the table," he said. "I guess that helps 'American Ninja Warrior' to find new things to put into the obstacle course."

Greg Glassman, a former gymnast, started the CrossFit craze out of his Santa Cruz, Calif., garage, looking to train for strength, endurance, flexibility and speed at the same time. The craze, which began in 2000, grew by word-of-mouth. Today, there are more than 8,000 affiliated CrossFit gyms worldwide.

For Volpe, CrossFit's appeal is its wide range of benefits. He also thinks it will give Gavigan a leg up on the competition.

"You walk into a Gold's Gym or a Planet Fitness and you see people who can lift a lot of weight but they can't walk up the stairs without getting short of breath," Volpe said.

As a high school football player, the 5-foot-8 Gavigan tipped the scales at 190 pounds. These days, he's down to a much-leaner 185 pounds, having cut his body fat to 6 percent.

Gavigan, who serves as an instructor at Volpe's CrossFit gym, recently enlisted in the Air Force National Guard. He hopes to one day open a CrossFit gym of his own.

For now, he's focusing on his upcoming run through the "American Ninja Warrior" course and aiming for a berth in the June finals in Las Vegas.

"Since I got the call, everyone has just been giving amazing support," Gavigan said. "I've actually had a few people say they're going to fly out with me to St. Louis and go out of their way to come support me through the course. It's just been absolutely amazing all the people that have been congratulating me."

"He put a message on our private Facebook group for the gym and it immediately flooded with messages of congratulations and everything," Volpe said. "We can't wait to turn on the TV and see him go out there and compete."